Schuyler duryee



S. DURYEB BNVBLOPB.

. Patented Mar. 11, 1890.

(No Model.)

N. PETERS. FlwmLithognphlr. Walhh'lgim: C

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SCHUYLER DURYEE, OF FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO SACKE'I DURYEE, OF VVASI'IINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

ENVLOPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 423,226, dated March 11, 1890. Application filed May 1,1889. -Serial Nol 309,208. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, SGHUYLER DURYEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Falls Church, in the county of Fairfax and State of Virginia,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Envelopes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains te make and use the same.

'Ihe object of the invention is to provide convenient means for opening a sealed envelope without lessening such evidences as mayexist of prior tampering therewith. The result is accomplished by securing to the envelope, preferably within it,'a iiat metallic plate, which, when the envelope is bent along the edge of the plate, may'cut or tear it along such edge.

In the case of registered envelopes it has been customary to cut the envelope along a line parallel to and at a short distance from its end; but this involves danger of injury to the contents of the envelope, whether or not the cutting be through both back and front of the latter, and, further, the opening cannot be thus done without a knife or other `implement not carried by the envelope itself.

Vform and construction, and B is a metal plate placed in any desired position therein. It is secured by any suitable means, but preferably by paper C, placed over it and gummed to the inner face of either the back or the front ofthe envelope. AThe plate is preferably a narrow strip, as shown in Figs. l and 2, and the retaining-paper may, as

shown, be carried past' the end fold of the envelope, strengthening the latter at that point. rlhe metal, when placed at the end of the envelope, prevents cutting off a small portion of the end of the 1atter-a common method of abstracting the contents. The edge of the plate is preferably serrated, as

shown in Fig. l, but the number of teeth is not material, and there may be one only, in which case the plate, as shown in Fig. 3, has a single angular point. The teeth may or may not extend entirely across the envelope, and it is not essential that the retaining-paper entirely cover the plate, nor, indeed, that it be otherwise secured. Y 4

Fig. 4 shows a construction in which the paper is omitted, ends or corners of the plate being passed through the wall of the envelope and preferably bent back upon the plate itself. v i

Fig. 5 shows one end of the plate as bent over the upper edge of the side flap and the other passed through the bottom flap near its upper edge, both ends being covered by overlapping of the ordinary parts when the envelope is sealed,

The plate may be so placed that its edge lies along any desired line, butis usually so placed that that line may be Wholly upon a continuous integrallyformed part of the paper not the edge of the envelope. lIn any case, the envelope being bent sharply along this line, the'paper is cut or torn along the metal edge, and the contents may then be removed, leaving the usual places of opening intact. In this operation of severing the paper the teeth act as in -many other wellknown devices for dividing paper and greatly facilitate the operation.

l. The combination, with the envelope, of the rigid paper-severing metal plate secured therein and adapted to divide the paper of which the envelope is composed when the latter is forced sharply across its edge, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with an envelope, of a metallic plate having a toothed edge and secured to the envelope in any suitable manner, whereby bending the envelope along said edge may divide the paper, permitting the removal of the contents without materially disturbing the ends, edges, or overlapped parts of the envelope.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signatu rein presence of two witnesses.

SCHUYLER DURYEE. Witnesses:

WALLACE GREENE, EDWARD CASHMAN. 

